Real Madrid Lost To A Better Side – Julen Lopetegui

Julen Lopetegui has accepted that his Real Madrid side were beaten by the better side on Wednesday after Sevilla won 3-0 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium, with all their goals coming before half-time.

“Sevilla were far superior and they deserved to win,” Madrid coach Lopetegui said. “We weren’t as we would have liked and we paid in the first half by letting in quick goals.

“Later, in the second half, we matched them and after that we hoped that, if we scored, we could get back into the game.

“We did score, but the goal didn’t count on the scoreboard [a Luka Modric strike that was ruled out for offside]. Then we missed chances and we couldn’t mount a comeback.”

FIFA’s The Best ceremony took place on Monday night with Madrid players Luka Modric, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Thibaut Courtois and Marcelo all picking up awards in London, but Lopetegui said the travelling was not an excuse.

“It’s clear that the circumstances occurred, but it would be opportunistic to blame this,” he said. “We lost the game because we weren’t good, the manager neither.”

Courtois, who won The Best goalkeeper award in London on Monday, also ruled out travel having been a factor in Madrid’s below-par night.

“I rested well, I trained very well,” he said. “We prepared for the game well and the award ceremony isn’t an excuse, because just five of us went.”